Do you ever go back and reread your published work years after you wrote it (other than for research purposes, if you write series)?
Why or why not?
An Aries Knows (this site is more fun when people read and comment)
Do you ever go back and reread your published work years after you wrote it (other than for research purposes, if you write series)?
Why or why not?
That’s a way cool question…one I hae often wondered about myself. I’ll be very interested in seeing what people have to say. You’ll be answering it as well, right??
I may be the ONLY person answering it. I don’t know how many authors read me.
I only care about the important authors, aka the ones I read…you, Greg, Tim, etc. BTW, I ordered SLY from ISO today.
I am not an author, but I would say you should. Just to make sure that you are on track with the series. I know that if something gets messed up, the readers let the authors know it.
Unless that’s considered research.
Otherwise, I think it might be fun to reread what you wrote just to see how you’ve developed as a writer.
It was only rather recently–three and four years ago–that I became a published author. I recently reread those three short stories because I’ve been recording myself reading them so I can send them to my family and friends.
I giggled when I saw this question because I was just reading in Ralph Keyes’ The Courage to Write how many authors believe that we writers are inherently self-involved and vainglorious. I know that in my case when I’ve received my contributor copies, I reread my stories over and over since I was so excited to see my stuff in print. Not only that, but I also treat these copies like they’re the Dead Sea Scrolls! Yes! I wrapped them in bubble wrap and put them inside a plastic rubbermaid container so they don’t get all damaged.
I’m pretty sure that years from now I’ll probably reread my stuff just out of curiosity to see if I think I’ve changed at all as a writer. Lately I’ve been pulling up various stories that I wrote months and years back in order to revise them, and I’m astonished how much I’ve forgot about them.
Sometimes I’ll think of a situation that a certain character was in and I’ll go through books to reread (re-experience) that moment. I love the characters we created and sometimes I need them.
Funny, though, is that when I reread those sections, it’s almost as if someone else wrote it.
Going back and re-reading poetry is a lot different because it’s usually more personal to me. Every time I reread a poem from, say, ten years ago, or even more recent, I have to fight the urge to edit.
I’m starting to realize that I don’t. Or, at least, I haven’t reread anything yet. I haven’t been able to reread without wanting to rewrite, and that’s not enjoyable.
No i never do. Once it’s written I’m done
That would mean something if I were published.
I know it sounds horribly self-obsessed, but… sorry, I do.
Sometimes I do it to remind myself that I usually like what I write; and sometimes I do it for a nice dose of humility; and sometimes it’s just to remind me of where I was, and how fortunate I am to be an unknown published writer instead of an unknown unpublished writer.
But, yeah, I do it.
–Famous Egotist Rob Byrnes
rereading published work
No!!!! My brain can always pick out where the editor changes stuff. I only reread the parts I choose in my head ahead of time for bookstore readings. I’ll give you a present example of why. Yesterday, I received my contributor copies of Best Date Ever. I reread the first page and saw where the editor change it and forced myself to close the book. My wife, Melissa came home from work and dove right into the story. Since it was a story about us for a true lesbian book, she kept nodding her head and saying, “That isn’t the way it happened.” She’d turn to me and say, “This isn’t how you wrote this. I don’t remember reading the final story like this.” (She’s my proofreader/copy editor.) She kept finding typos and more editing changes. She’s still upset by that story because she knows that isn’t how it happened where the editor changed it, and she hates the fact that it makes me look bad. Her only consolation is that she knows other readers won’t know how our Best Date Ever really happened. The other problem is that they mistakenly wrote a title for anthology I have a story in. If someone tries to find it based on their numbering of the anthology series, they won’t find it in the second one because I was published in the third.
Did I answer your question in all that babbling?
Ellen
I’ll let you know as soon as I’m published and years have passed. 🙂 I’m thinking I probably wouldn’t, because if you saw my “to read” stack of books, it’d be clear I would never have time to read my old stuff.
Jeffrey R.